Extended Step Outline for Film

Extended Step-Outline Sheet
Scene No 1 Page No 1
Slugline Int. The Crucible (Interrogation Room), Orange
County Jail, Orlando Florida, mid-day.
Endpoint of last scene No previous scene
Characters in scene
Isaac, male interrogator, female interrogator.
Point of scene To establish the consequences of an event that
happened prior to Isaac being arrested.
Conflict
Both interrogators believe Isaac murdered his
assistant during an illusion he was performing at
a show. Though he didn't, he was framed. Isaac
is attempting to prove his innocence.
Ending / central
question Will the interrogators believe Isaac?
Key Micro elements
employed and brief
description of their
use
Mise-en-scène.
The central focus will be on body language and
the expressions of the three characters, as they
will be able to convey the emotions of the
characters when in that setting. The lighting will
also be personified to express the positions the
characters are in and the roles and effects they
have on one another.
Isaac's expressions will alter between rather
child-like features to portray his innocence, and
he will change his facial characteristics to exhibit
his tested patience for being held in a situation
like the current. Some of his body language will
consist of leaning back in his chair to show his

loss of hope in proving his innocence, leaning
forward as if he were begging for the
interrogators to believe him, and eventually
standing up when driven to the limit.
The male interrogator will be far more
aggressive and much more stereotypically
masculine than the female. His expressions will
have consistency in remaining threatening,
angered and impatient. This is to portray the
interrogator's beliefs and develop the sense of
tension between the two very macho-themed
characters, he and Isaac. This would also have an
impact on suspense and expectation of violence.
The female, on the other hand, is likely to be far
more relaxed. As she is a returning character in
the plot, it is important that her personality is to
be displayed constantly, to a point where
viewers would believe she is a calm and
collected character. Her expressions would rarely
change, though she may seem as if she looks
convinced by Isaac, to settle her weakness and
feminine qualities in comparison to the male
interrogator.
There would be a single light on the desk,
shining into Isaac's face to create the sense of
exposure. Whilst the light illuminates Isaac's
appearance, the interrogators would be behind

the light and even shadowed over to suggest
upon Isaac's vulnerability with the current
situation at hand.
Scene description (without dialogue) focusing on key micro aspects (mise-
en-scène, camera, sound, editing, etc)
Isaac is sat at the desk, his hands resting on the table and presented in
handcuffs in front of the two interrogators. The interrogators are both
sat across from him. The female has one leg crossed over the other, her
foot swaying impatiently. (Mise-en-scene.) She has a clipboard in one
hand, a pen in the other, both settled calmly (Mise-en-scene) onto her
lap.
The male, on the other hand, is leaned in with both hands locked
together and on the table, staring at Isaac. (Mise-en-scene.) The male
then reaches up and adjusts the desktop light. (Mise.)
Wincing, (mise-en-scene) Isaac withdraws his hands from the desk and
settles them onto his lap. He then sits back into his seat, returning the
stare. The two seem to narrow their eyes to one another in some
threatening manner. (Mise.)
The female leans in slowly and presses the button to a recorder. She
sits upright and presents herself, her pen at the ready to take notes.
(Mise en scene.) The male interrogator begins to question Isaac, often
achieving one worded answers and rather sarcastic expressions paired
with them. (Mise en scene.)
The male interrogator stands and leans over the desk toward Isaac
(Mise-en-scene and lighting). The woman calmly places her hand onto
the male interrogator (Mise) and he sits back down. They resume the
interrogation. The male interrogator asks the same question as before,
and Isaac answers with the same answer, this time leaning forward
(Mise). The female interrogator looks over to the male and tells him that
it may not be worth it at that moment in time. Taking a deep breath
(Mise) the male interrogator stands and leaves the room first. The

female then stands, gestures Isaac follow (Mise), and the two take the
other exit (Mise) out of the room.

Slugline
Int. The Orange County Inc. (Bar), Orlando
Florida, evening.
Endpoint of last scene
Isaac was interrogated for the murder of his
assistant, and one of the two interrogators
believed in his innocence.
Characters in scene
Isaac, his assistant, the audience (extras),
mysterious stranger.
Point of scene
This is a flashback which recalls the events that
happened prior to Isaac's arrest, and establish
the reasons behind it. It creates some dramatic
irony, where the audience will question whether
or not Isaac is responsible for the murder of his
assistant or not. This scene will also suggest
what Isaac's previous job was.
Conflict
Isaac's evening show is disrupted by a trick gone
wrong, and is blamed for something he claims
he didn't do.
Ending / central
question Who was really responsible for this mishap?
Key Micro elements
employed and brief
use
Sound.
The sound will allow the audience to be told a
story, even if there wasn't screenplay involved. It
will help manipulate the mood of the audience
in order to achieve the desired effect of the
scenes.

The scene will be presented with non-diegetic
and joyful music, which is associated with the
entertainment factors of the club Isaac works in.
This is to create a base of anticipation for the
audience to build onto. There will be diegetic
sounds and sound bridges of claps from the
extras watching Isaac's show; these sounds will
allow the scene to introduce the lifestyle Isaac
lived prior to the main storyline, which was of
fame and performance.
The sounds will be consistent throughout, often
followed up by 'oohs' and 'ahs' of the audience
to generate the effect Isaac's skill has upon
them. This is also a way in which high skill could
be suggested, as Isaac's talents and cleverly
designed 'tricks' are fluent throughout the rest
of the plot.
However, as he leads up to his climatic trick, the
sounds fall silent and it is clear that a lot of
tension and the previously compacted
anticipation will inevitably lead to some form of
disaster. The sound falls silent because it will
then settle an eerie sensation over viewers
where dramatic irony may be involved again:
The viewers will believe that there will be some
form of mistake, and the silence turns that
entertained and homely mood cold in an instant.

After a long and unsettling silence during the
build up to the knife throw, a diegetic sound of
Isaac's heavy breath will be loud enough to be
heard, yet not overly exaggerated. If it were to
be exaggerated, it could potentially throw off
the concentration of the audience. However, the
audience would be far more engaged if they
had to listen even more out for a quiet yet
audible sound, and the shock that follows would
create more impact.
When the knife is thrown and skims the leg of
the assistant, the sound effect of the blade
hitting the wooden board breaks the silence.
This is to mirror the broken concentration of
Isaac when he realises he has made a mistake.
The sound of his breath exhaling is louder than
the breaths previously, as a sigh of relief that it
could have been worse. This will make the
audience believe that the accident was only
minor and that the assistant is okay, provided
they will feel a false sense of security.
As Isaac runs across the stage, only his shoes
can be heard, followed by the cuffs he undoes
for his assistant. This can connote the pressure
placed upon him in the entertainment industry
and further foreshadow the pressure he will face
when attempting to prove his innocence
following these events. As he lets his assistant

down, she announces that everything is okay,
accidents happen, and the crowd begins to
applause her bravery. This again builds upon
that false sense of security and hope mentioned
before, putting relief onto the viewers.
Through the clapping, the assistant can be heard
shouting, "The show must go on!". But, her voice
is quiet with the clapping. This will create the
feeling that something is wrong, and that the
audience are paying little attention to what she
has to say. This reflects how there is little
attention upon what is about to happen.
As the assistant begins to walk offstage with the
help of Isaac, the clapping is still the only
diegetic sound and sound bridge in the clip.
However, a white noise soon overtakes the
audience claps, which is almost deafening. The
audience are still clearly cheering, yet the non-
diegetic white noise drowns out their joy and it's
then that the viewers are aware something is
wrong. The white noise will have a form of
internal effect, as it is anempathetic and does
not match to the cheering audience, making the
viewers of the clip believe that there is
something wrong personally with the assistant.
When she collapses, there’s the diegetic sound
of Isaac’s breathing along with the white noise.

Then, as the stranger stands, the sound seems
to fall silent when he walks out of the bar. This
is to revolve the events around him, which
should evoke some questioning from the
audience as to what his purpose serves in the
story.
Isaac is on the stage at The Orange County Inc. bar, presenting his
evening show. There's a jazz band playing (sound). Isaac performs very
petty tricks, such as making white doves appear, his assistant disappear
in a magic box, for the noisy audience (sound). The curtains shut as he
prepares his next trick in silence (sound.) The curtains open again, and
Isaac's assistant is strapped into an 'X' shape, on a knife wheel. The
audience gasp (sound), and the jazz band begin to play tension-based
(sound). There is silence, focused on the breaths of Isaac (sound) as he
prepares to throw the knife.
He throws the knife, and hits the board (sound). The audience gasps
again as they realise that he managed to skim the knife along his
assistant's leg, and Isaac runs across the (sound). He undoes the cuffs to
his assistant and helps her, propping her up. She then laughs, even with
the cut on her leg, and waves to the audience whilst announcing that
everything is okay. The audience begin to cheer again (sound). As she
walks across the stage with Isaac, white noise which overtakes the
cheering (sound). The assistant pauses on the stage, and then she
collapses. Isaac catches her and sets her down, patting her face and
asking if she's okay. But she does not reply (sound). Isaac's voice calls
out for help (sound) in the bar. People begin to chatter amongst
themselves (sound) while Isaac tries to wake his assistant desperately.
The clip is cut off. (Sound)

Slugline
Int. Reception of Orange County Jail/Lucy's
Office, mid-day.
There was a flashback of the event that caused
Isaac to be arrested, but it didn't fully explain
what happened or who was held responsible.
Characters in scene Isaac, female interrogator (Lucy), prisoners
(extras).
Point of scene
The antagonist who helps Isaac prove his
innocence is introduced in this scene as Lucy,
the female interrogator.
Conflict
Lucy wishes to help Isaac, but nobody else is
willing to help.
Ending / central
question
How will Lucy prove who murdered Isaac's
assistant?
Key Micro elements
employed and brief
use
Mise-en-scène: Costumes and appearance.
Isaac will be wearing a white polo shirt, jeans
and trainers. The colour white resembles
innocence and purity, and the brightness of the
colour will allow Isaac to stand out in the scene
and state that he is not like the rest of the
convicts in the station. The colour scheme will
imply that Isaac is innocent, and the fact the
colour white can also mean 'clean' could mirror
having a clean record and contradict the

statement: 'blood on your hands', which means
to be a murderer.
The convicts and extras dressed as prisoners will
be wearing darker clothes with particular tones
of red, black and blue. The colour red can
signify danger and hotheaded, along with blood
and even lust. (which would suggest more
sexual crime, contrasts with innocence and
purity.) Black would resemble mystery, darkness
and evil, and blue could mean cold- as in cold
blooded.
The extras would also be likely to have elements
of a criminal semantic field. For example, tattoos
- more typically of skulls, the infamous eye
teardrop, and crosses (inspired by This Is
England, Combo.) - can be associated with the
life of crime. If the extras were to have piercings
and tattoos, their appearances would contrast
with Isaac's lack of these accessories and again
create the impression that he is different to
them.
Lucy's outfit will consist of a standard tee shirt,
skinny jeans and boots. Lucy's outfit helps her
portray her character. As she doesn't look
professional, it can reflect her more down-to-
earth persona and how she can make a more
personal connection to Isaac. She is an

unprofessional character who states her beliefs,
therefore she must look different to the rest of
her colleagues. She will also have a green
hoodie, as it symbolises health, help and safety.
The colour green is positive, which reflects her
nature.
Isaac walks out of The Crucible (Interrogation Room) with the handcuffs
still around his wrists, with Lucy (mise-en-scène). She then walks in
front, and stops Isaac before telling him she will be back shortly.
Waiting in the reception, Isaac takes a seat between two convicts. One
is bulky (mise-en-scène) and covered in tattoos (mise-en-scène). The
other one has a red hoodie (mise-en-scène), and his face is covered in
dirt. (Mise-en-scène). Isaac sits back properly in his chair (mise-en-
scène), the two convicts by his sides are leaned forward. (Mise-en-
scène).
Lucy eventually returns with a set of documents and suggests that Isaac
should follow. He eagerly leaves his seat (mise-en-scène). Several of the
other criminals glare in his direction.
Isaac and Lucy walk into Lucy's office, and she takes a seat across from
Isaac. She then sorts through her documents and sets out a selection
for Isaac to look at. Even in this process, she has yet to remove the
handcuffs. (Mise-en-scène) When Isaac looks at the different papers,
Lucy explains that she believes in his innocence. She then takes a hair
tie and ties her hair up (mise-en-scène). After Isaac finishes looking at
the papers, he sets his handcuffed hands onto the table (mise-en-
scène). There's a pause, then Lucy reluctantly undoes the handcuffs and
pulls them away (mise-en-scène) and then puts her green hoodie on
(mise-en-scène). After she tells Isaac that she's willing to help prove the

truth. After that, the two stand, and leave her office.

Slugline Int. Orange County Global Medical Centre,
Orlando Florida, evening.
Lucy managed to get Isaac out of the Orange
County Jail under the circumstances that he
would be under surveillance until proved
innocent or guilty.
Characters in scene
Lucy, Isaac, Doctor.
Point of scene
Lucy and Isaac are trying to learn what really
happened to Isaac's assistant on the night she
collapsed onstage. They have gone to the
hospital she was admitted into in order to find
the cause of death which will start the
investigation.
Conflict
It becomes clearer that Isaac isn’t held accountable for
the murder of his assistant, but he can’t identify who is.
Ending / central
question How did the culprit commit this murder?
Key Micro elements
employed and brief
use
Editing.
The clip will be consistent with straight cut
transitions whenever it is set in the current
moment of the film. This is to retain the realistic
nature of the scene. Another reason is because
many other transitions may be recognised by
the audience, and as this is one of the most
technical scenes of the film, the audience cannot
have their attention withdrawn from the events

happening onscreen. So straight cuts keep the
scene realistic, and keep the audience focused
on the significance of the storyline.
There will also be a series of shot-reverse-shots
between Isaac and the doctor specifically, as the
two will be conversing. Because the storyline
revolves around Isaac, Lucy may not be of much
importance in this scene. The shot-reverse-shots
between Isaac and the doctor will remind the
audience that Isaac is attempting to prove his
own innocence.
There will be one graphic match between the
cut on the assistant's leg in the flashback and a
scalpel on a tray to create a sequel-like
connection between the incident of the cut and
the consequence of medical attention. This will
also create the effect of passing time to further
enhance the flashback.
The clips will switch between different paces. For
the flashback, I want a montage because a
montage of clips represents a hallucination-like
effect, which would mirror the use of poison on
the assistant and tie the distorting 'internal
effect' from the second scene back into the
storyline. The rest of the scene based on the
current film timing will be quite simple, where
clips will not be too long or too short, as the

mood should not stray too far from neutral.
As Isaac is told the effects of Carbolic Acid
(Phenol), the clips will become a few seconds
longer to mirror his concentration as he pieces
together the mystery of what could have
happened the night his assistant was murdered.
The slower clips will also allow the audience to
keep up with the thought process of Isaac.
There's also a jump cut between the sample and
the sample's label. With jump cuts, the audience
becomes aware of the edit and it makes the film
feel surreal, so a jump cut would make the
audience feel distorted at the sight of the
poison.
Lucy and Isaac walk through the carpark after getting out of Lucy's car
and make their way into the hospital. They see a patient’s facial features
(editing). When the two walk to the front desk, Lucy requests seeing a
certain doctor. She pulls out a wallet and hands the receptionist a
certain ID-like card. The receptionist then sees the two into the doctor's
office. When they see the doctor in his office, he gets up and greets
Lucy quite warmly. Isaac and the doctor introduce themselves (editing).
Their hands shake (editing).
Isaac then explains what he believed happened to the doctor, and the
two converse (editing). The doctor nods and then he begins to explain.
He voices over the memory (editing) of the night Isaac's assistant
collapsed. When the doctor begins to explain the story again, there's
the same memory (editing). The doctor holds up a small container to

present to Lucy and Isaac. The doctor finally suggests that, whatever
happened, the knife used to throw must have been coated with a thin
layer of Phenol before the show started. He then concludes that
whoever did it must have had a form of medical ID in order to purchase
the acid. The doctor holds up his ID to Lucy and Isaac (editing), before
they leave.

Slugline Int. Lucy's car, then Lucy's apartment, night
Isaac learned what the cause of his assistant's
death was at the hospital.
Characters in scene Isaac, Lucy, voice on phone.
Point of scene
This is the scene where the investigation to find
the murderer officially begins. This is also where
Isaac first comes into contact with the second
suspect aside from himself.
Conflict
Isaac is threatened by the second suspect of the
murder case, and must track the voice down.
Ending / central
question Who was the voice on the phone?
Key Micro elements
employed and brief
use
Lighting and sound.
The lighting in Lucy's car will be very low key.
But every so often, the light of another car's
headlights will shine through Lucy's windshield
and light up the interior of Lucy's car almost like
rays of hope for the two. As this happens, there
will be a story on the radio playing
simultaneously about the Orange County Inc.
case. When these two are combined, the rays of
hope disguised as streaks of light suggest that
Isaac and Lucy will be able to solve the case.

When they return to Lucy's apartment block, the
reception is high key lighting to create a
'heavenly effect', as if that place is a safe area
for the two to be.
When they get into Lucy's apartment, it's
complete darkness until Lucy hits a light switch.
Then, the room is illuminated by more high key
lighting. This signifies that Lucy can be held
accountable for allowing Isaac to progress in the
investigation, by lighting up the darkness; it
provides a way forward for Isaac and guides him
around her apartment, the same way she would
guide him into solving the case.
When Isaac takes a seat on the couch, he is
handed Lucy's laptop. Further into the scene, the
room is shut out by darkness aside from two
elements providing a light source, which is the
television and the laptop. The laptop's screen
creates floor lighting on Isaac's face, to make
him look empowered.
When the phone rings, Isaac looks up, and the
lighting from the television illuminates his face
completely. This suggests the same sense of
exposure from the first scene. With these forms
of sound and lighting in sync, it connotes that
Isaac is being watched. There's a sense created
that he's being preyed on. Because there's no

back, key or tracker lighting, the scene shows
Isaac on his own. The effect this should have on
the audience is the unnerving idea that
somebody other than Lucy is present in the
room.
Sound.
The sound comes into play later on in the
evening, when Lucy has fallen asleep.
The story on the television is the same Orange
County Inc. news line, and the reporter says:
"We still have yet to find any further suspects."
This would be quiet, diegetic background noise,
as it would have the same effect on the
audience as the knife-throwing scene did. It
would allow the audience to concentrate
carefully on what happens in the scene.
A non-diegetic phone ring which is louder than
the television overrides the story on the
television, and this should have a shock factor
on the audience. This will begin to create
suspense. When the voice begins to speak,
there's a pause beforehand to help heighten the
suspense and to evoke the audience to question
the audience.
The voice itself has quite a British accent, as
British accents in film are often associated with
villains.

There's a finale play on words, which is when
the voice says, "And for my next trick, I will
make you disappear." This regards Isaac's
previous job and intends on provoking the
audience. The threat alone should also unnerve
the audience and make them believe that Isaac
is not alone, as suggested before.
The diegetic sound of the phone beeping
signifies that it has been hung up, which leaves
the scene on a cliffhanger. This should keep the
suspense going through the next scenes to
come, justifying the thriller genre.
en-scène,
Inside Lucy's car (sound and lighting), driving past street lamps.
(lighting). The two listen to the radio news report (sound).
When they arrive at the apartment blocks, they still say very little to
each other (sound). Lucy walks into the reception with Isaac (lighting).
They make their way up to Lucy’s room (lighting). When Lucy unlocks
the door, she flicks the light switch (lighting).
The two walk to the couch, Lucy handing Isaac her laptop to look into
the effects of the aforementioned poison. Lucy sits down next to him,
and the silence is broken by the television. (Sound)
Later on, Lucy has already fallen asleep, but Isaac stayed awake in the
dark (lighting) with the exception of the television and laptop screens
(lighting). Whilst he's listening to the news reporter talking about the
suspect, the phone rings in the background (sound), from behind Isaac.
The phone begins to ring (lighting). Isaac gets up and slowly pulls the
phone from the port, waiting patiently. After a while of not speaking,

Isaac finally asks if anybody is on the phone. A voice (sound), begins to
explain that Isaac is being watched. Isaac gets the remote and turns
down the television (sound) and then resumes listening. The voice
begins to explain to Isaac that he was responsible for the killing of
Isaac's assistant, and that he did it knowing Isaac would be framed for
it. Isaac walks around Lucy's apartment (lighting), occasionally looking
through the windows. Isaac is eventually told that his time will be soon,
and Isaac turns his shoulder to the television (lighting). The man finally
concludes (sound), before a bleep of the phone (sound) suggests he
hung up on Isaac. Isaac looks at the phone, and the screen (lighting)
that once had the caller ID, time of call and loudspeaker options shuts
off, creating a pitch black (lighting) screen.

Extended Step Outline for Film

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